Finding trails online are good and all, but if you really want to find something special, ask a local who is into the same things as you are. I’ve found all of my favorite trails this way, and in the past, it had always opened opportunities to make great friends. The cashier from the farmer’s market a few days back recommended Ampersand Mountain Trail. Separately, Jessie found this hike on All Trails. We had to do it. Ampersand forged a path through yellow birch trees in another open forest. After two small brooks, a long two plank wide board walk allowed dry passage over the marshy area. From there, it was a long staircase made from large rocks. Near the top, large boulders sat split in two. The top was a small scramble up rock face. I puffed my inhaler too early for the hike and asthma kicked my ass this time. None the less, we made it up an hour before sunset. A 360 degree view allowed us to see the world below as if we had the eyes of a dragon fly. The blue distances once again covered themselves in an ambiguous hazy fog but the sun had a different plan; it pierced the sky with rays that lit the smallest lakes miles beyond. We could finally see the crimson change of the season overtaking the valley below. Trying to capture it all with a camera does not always do the trick. However, we can at least take a piece of it with us to lock away in our treasure boxes so that when our minds fade away, we will still have standing proof: we were here.